Stephen Curry Jumps to No. 2 Behind LeBron James in NBA Jersey Sales
Along with MVP front-runner and probable All-Star starter, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry can add prolific jersey salesman to his rapidly expanding resume.
Thanks to his brilliant on-court exploits, Curry now ranks No. 2 overall in total uniform sales, just one spot behind Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James. With the top-selling threads in the Western Conference, Curry now sits one place ahead of reigning MVP Kevin Durant.
Here's a complete list of the NBA's 15 best-selling jerseys, according to Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears:
| 1. LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2. Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 3. Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 4. Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 5. Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| 6. Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 7. Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks |
| 8. Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 9. Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 10. Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 11. Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 12. Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| 13. Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 14. James Harden | Houston Rockets |
| 15. Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans |
As recently as last April, Curry ranked No. 5 overall in jersey sales, with James, Durant, Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose occupying spots one through four, respectively, according to CSN Bay Area.
Curry's rapid rise up the stitched ranks shouldn't come as a surprise, though.
Averaging 22.9 points, 8.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and a league-leading 2.2 steals while shooting 39.1 percent from three on the league's top team, Curry's top-flight talent and versatile stylings are now being appreciated on a much broader scale.
"For me, it’s about not being defined as just a shooter," Curry said, according to Grantland's Jonathan Abrams. "It’s about [being] a guy that plays the point guard position in a totally unique way and hopefully [becoming] one of the best point guards in the history of the game—shooting the basketball and being a playmaker with a couple of championships to show for it."
Here are some other jersey-related movements of note:
- Tim Duncan shot all the way up to No. 8 overall after capturing his fifth title with the San Antonio Spurs. He ranked 14th just eight months ago.
- Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard and New Orleans Pelicans terminator Anthony Davis made their first appearances on the esteemed list.
- Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo failed to qualify after ranking 12th and 13th, respectively, before the 2014 playoffs.
- Kyrie Irving rose three spots from No. 9 to No. 6.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers are the only clubs that boast at least two players among the top 15.
Thanks to James' return and Irving's ascent up the list, the Cavaliers now rank No. 1 overall in total team merchandise sold, according to ESPN.com's Royce Young:
The Warriors may need to earn some shiny new hardware in order to usurp the Cavaliers' top spot, but at the rate they're dismantling opponents, that time may not be too far off.
And with Curry firmly entrenched as one of the league's brightest stars with room still to grow, there may soon come a day when his jersey tops the list and sends James tumbling down to No. 2.
